We believe in the adage that prevention is better than a cure. Our emphasis is on total preventive care for our patients. That begins with routine dental hygiene visits and checkups with one of our dentists, and also includes strong home oral health routines with lots of personalized instruction. Maintaining this regimen will help increase your chances of keeping your natural teeth for a lifetime, as well as cut down on the cost of dental treatments.
Professional teeth cleaning (prophylaxis) This removes plaque and calculus (tartar) from tooth surfaces. It is followed by a polishing procedure, and flossing. These maintenance visits typically are recommended every six months, but may be more frequent for patients with periodontal issues or special needs. All of our treatment recommendations are always customized to our patients needs.
Digital X-rays X-rays are powerful diagnostic aids that enable our dentists to see portions of teeth and bone that cannot be seen with the naked eye to identify signs of disease and decay in its earliest stages. Digital technology emits much less radiation than conventional X-rays, and it produces instant images on computer screens in each exam room. Not only are our digital X-rays safer, they make diagnosing dental disease easier.
Fluoride treatments for children and adults Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay in children and adults and fluoride treatments can even reverse decay in its early stages. We offer a variety of in-office and at-home fluoride treatments.
Dental sealants for children The chewing surfaces of children’s back teeth have small pits and grooves that create areas for food and germs to get stuck. These areas are too small for toothbrush bristles to reach. We suggest applying dental sealants — thin, plastic coatings — to the chewing surfaces of children’s back teeth as soon as they erupt to shield them from tooth decay. They are checked at every maintenance visit and touched up for prevention and longevity when necessary.
Pediatric Dentistry
We absolutely love treating children and we provide a variety of pediatric dental services for children age six months and up. We are proud to serve as the dental home for entire families, because we know that doing so makes scheduling appointments for all family members so much easier. We are thrilled and excited to treat entire families.
We concentrate on treating conditions that affect a child’s dental development, and we also provide common pediatric dentistry services such as fillings, extractions and preventive treatments such as sealants. We also monitor young mouths closely from visit to visit to determine if it is necessary to make an orthodontic referral when it is appropriate to intervene at the most ideal time in terms of both teeth and jaw (skeletal) growth.
Parents play a significant role in creating a lifetime of positive experiences for their children in dental offices. You can begin by bringing your children to your appointments so they grow accustomed to the sites and sounds of the dental office. We introduce children to dental treatment by making them feel comfortable in the office and showing them the types of instruments we use. We also have large screen TVs in all the rooms so they may be distracted by their favorite show.
Please call to schedule an appointment for your children so we may help them be on the road to dental success.
Periodontal Care
If your teeth are like a beautiful home, then your gums and jawbone are the foundation that is necessary to support that home. We want to help keep your foundation strong or your home will be in jeopardy. We have a strong periodontal program for the treatment and maintenance of gum disease. We provide personal counseling to identify the cause of periodontal issues, and we maintain close working team relationships with specialists, should we need to refer you outside the practice for more extensive treatment.
Patients who have been diagnosed with gum disease often benefit from deep cleanings called scaling and root planning (as part of our Soft Tissue Management Program). The procedure involves removing plaque, bacterial toxins and tartar deposits from tooth and root surfaces. Root planing is a procedure to smooth the rough areas on root surfaces. Smooth root surfaces help prevent bacteria, plaque and tartar from clinging to them, and promote reattachment of gum tissue. We sometimes follow this procedure with an antibiotic treatment to help kill bacteria.
When necessary, gum and or bone grafting can be performed to replace what was lost due to periodontal disease.
Occlusal Guards/TMD Appliances
Do you grind your teeth at night? Do you suffer from temporomandibular joint disorder? Ask us about appliances that can help combat the harmful effects of these conditions. We can help prevent the damage of severely worn teeth which leads to expensive treatment. If you are prone to headaches, we can examine to see if there is a dental/muscular connection. There is a variety of appliances, depending on your particular diagnosis.